Full Report: Trek’s New Line of Mountain Bikes

Jul 19, 2011

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Shock Value

At the core of Trek’s 2012 changes is a new advancement in their forks. Trek’s suspension engineer Jose Gonzalez worked closely with Fox to design a custom-valved fork (a task he’s done before with the rear shock to maximize performance specific to Trek) to create a perfectly balanced ride front to back. The DRCV (Dual Rate Control Valve) fork is a dual-chamber set up, with a primary air chamber in the main body of the fork and a secondary chamber within the fork’s compression rod. Compress the fork far enough (i.e. a big hit) and a plunger cracks open the second air chamber, increasing the volume of the shock. Kind of like a reserve tank in your car, this fork gives you the freedom to go a little bigger on the trail.

What it means for you: Suspension that is supple enough to absorb stutter bumps and baby-head rock gardens, but can still perform like a champ on big hits without blowing through the travel.

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Remedy

We took two gondolas to the top of the mountain and one bike down over roots, near-vertical rock gardens and impossibly tight switchbacks—the Remedy. (Though for those who tend to shun the shuttle runs; the RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post with internal cable routing that lets you sink the saddle fast for big drops or finesse it for more subtle changes in pedaling and control. The 2012 Remedy will be available in 5 models.

What it means for you: A light bike with a burly frame that can pedal up and—more importantly—haul ass down the steepest terrain Mother Nature dishes out.

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Fuel EX

We took this bike up (and up…and up) the mountains on techie climbs so steep we saw goats drop their jaws as we pedaled past (or maybe that was just a hallucination induced by the lack of oxygen at these altitudes). Then we stopped for lunch and sailed back down through rock-lined singletrack and rooty, loamy sharp-pitched descents. This 120mm trail bike is a tool suitable for all but the burliest terrain (see: Session). New this year is slackened geometry (now a 68-degree head angle) and new frame tubes to assure a comfortable, confident ride. The top of the line (EX 9.9) comes with a 2x10 drivetrain (the rest are 3x 10). The entire line comes with RP3 rear shocks and the top five models—out of 8—feature a DRCV fork.

What it means for you: A race-ready machine that delivers all-mountain capability.

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SuperFly 100

29ers have yet to soar through Europe, but a few excursions on the new SuperFly is sure to send some bikes sailing off shelves. We banged this featherweight XC bike through a test loop that tossed in a kitchen sink of steep pitches, sharp descents, twisty rock-strewn trails and wide-open double-track. The SuperFly delivered quickly and confidently and wanted to just keep on rolling. One welcome upgrade is a considerably stiffer rear thanks to a 142 x 12 thru axle, which incidentally is convertible, so you can use a quick-release wheel in a pinch. The six-bike line now has three carbon options.

What it means for you: An efficient race bike that carries mad momentum and is versatile enough to tackle tight, technical terrain.

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Session 9.9

The gravity set can now bomb down the mountain on a new full-carbon frame that is a whopping 2 pounds lighter than its predecessor. The 2012 Session 9.9, which has carried Trek World Racing’s Aaron Gwin to two of his World Cup downhill wins this season, comes in at sub-35 pounds. A new suspension leverage ratio allows for an increase in rear-wheel travel to 210mm. As with the rest of Trek’s line, adjustability is the name of the game. The Session’s Fox fork was designed in collaboration with engineers from both companies and features Hybrid Air technology, which lets riders add or release air to fine tune spring rate according to terrain rather than swapping coil springs. The Session also features a two-position Mino Link, which can adjust suspension rate to better match terrain. A Cane Creek 7-position Angleset E2 headset further adjusts geometry and the fork has 12mm of adjustability. For those who still bite their nails over the durability of an all-carbon DH machine, Trek offers their InTension material—a web of low-density, very stiff material built into the lay up around high-load areas like the pivots and bottom bracket—which provides four times the flexural strength and is 8 times stiffer than carbon-only structures. There are three models to choose from.

What it means for you: A super light DH bike that has already been proven on the World Cup circuit.

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Lush

We got a tease of the Lush, which is due out in September and was not yet available for testing. This bike represents a ground-up change for Trek’s women’s specific design (WSD). Women told Trek they wanted more stand-over clearance and confident handling, something that just wasn’t happening with tweaked male-oriented geometry. So they started anew, dropping the top tube and lowering the center of gravity without lowering the bottom bracket, which the company says improves balance and weight distribution on the bike for confident handling uphill, downhill and over tricky terrain. Trek also changed the leverage ratio to accommodate lighter riders. This 120mm travel bike represents an opportunity for women to get a long-legged trail bike just for them. The two top end models (there are four in all) come equipped with the Fox RP3 rear shock and DRCV fork.

What it means to you: A true women’s specific trail bike built for riders who want more stability and confidence through tricky terrain.

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Slash

The last major change comes in the form of an all-new bike: the Slash. The model (seemingly named for its versatility—like former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback-slash-running back-slash-receiver Kordell Stewart), replaces the former Scratch Air and is designed for the endurance downhill crowd, which demands a bike that can tackle steep descents yet still quickly pedal across long distances. Trek relied on team riders Rene Wildhaber (who has won Megavalanche race six times) and Ross Schnell for design input. The 160mm-travel bike uses Trek’s ABP suspension and a DRCV shock. But Trek’s mountain bike product manager warns customers not to get too hung up on travel: “Slash is defined by a lot more than just its travel—it’s the whole package of commanding steering, superior suspension, and a parts spec that rivals some DH bikes in durability and performance,” he said. “If you’re riding events like Megavalanche or Downieville, this is your bike.”

What it means to you: While there are plenty of all-mountain bikes that pedal well and can still tackle hairy descents, this is the first marketed directly at the growing ranks of endurance downhill racers.

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